Now, to be fair, Iguodala pretty clearly meant that the experience of playing without Curry was similar to what he goes through in practice, when he usually plays without the league’s top scorer and shooter. Nevertheless, a number of viewers and fans on social media took his words as a description of the Rockets and the style of Game 2. And it’s hard to blame them, because Iguodala inadvertently captured the feeling of the matchup. The Warriors controlled this game and their opponent with an ease that’s rarely associated with the intensity of playoff basketball. The 115-106 win improved Golden State’s series lead to 2-0, but it also appeared to confirm that Houston lacks the focus to give the defending champions an honest challenge.

It’s hard to put any faith in the Rockets in large part because the dynamics of the matchup did not appear to change even with Curry out. The Warriors created shots in both transition and the halfcourt with relative ease, catching the Rockets on missed assignments and switches with enough regularity to feel like one or two missed opportunities would be replaced by several more chances in a matter of moments. Golden State shot 49.4 percent from the field (including a relatively poor 8-of-23 from deep) and 27-of-38 from the line, numbers that don’t communicate a high level of efficiency as much as an ability to get plenty of good looks. There was no point in the game at which the Warriors seemed unable to hold onto a lead or put themselves into a position to win. They encountered very little resistance.

It was telling that the Rockets couldn’t gain the upper hand when things went relatively well early on. For one thing, James Harden bounced back from a curious Game 1 in which he took zero free throws (for just the third time in his time with the Rockets) by getting 13 attempts in the first half, making 12 of them for the majority of his 16 points before the break. That return to form for the team’s offensive linchpin was attended by one of Josh Smith‘s random 3-of-3 showings from three-point range. Houston combined for 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc and 20-of-21 from the line, good enough for a 25-point improvement on their paltry 33 points in the first half of Game 1.

It didn’t help to the Rockets to a lead, though, because they managed to concede six more points than the 60 they gave up on Saturday. That number looks even worse considering Klay Thompson sat with two fouls earlier than expected in the first quarter, although he dominated the second to pick up 15 of his 20 first-half points. Otherwise, the Warriors didn’t have many unexpected or extremely promising early performances other than that of Andre Iguodala, who shot 4-of-6 on threes (including makes on his first three attempts) to get 14 of his eventual 18 points before halftime. The game was playing out both according to Houston’s plans and totally against them — they got the offense they wanted but couldn’t get enough stops to generate a lead.

The second half did not go as well for Houston, with Harden going to the line only three more times and finishing with 1-of-8 shooting from deep to ensure that he would not dominate for 48 minutes. Meanwhile, Thompson continued to take on the scoring load for Golden State on his way to tying his career playoff high with 34 points (8-of-20 FG, 3-of-8 3FG, 15-of-16 FT). Draymond Green did not have much of a scoring touch but impacted the game in other ways to finish with 12 points (4-of-12 FG), 14 rebounds, and eight assists.

More importantly, the Warriors played with a cohesion and unity of purpose sorely lacking on the other side. Golden State’s team concepts assure that the likes ofShaun Livingston (16 points and six assists) and Marreese Speights (nine points in 11 minutes) can contribute without Curry in the lineup, or that Harrison Barnescan be a useful defender and carry a scoring threat when he shoots 1-of-10 from the field. By contrast, the Rockets relied on individual offensive performances and little else. Dwight Howard was far from the only unimpressive player in the game, but his line — 12 points on 5-of-7 FG, 10 rebounds, four assists, a foul-out, and a minus-22 in 35 minutes — was emblematic of Houston’s struggles. He looked great on single possessions but failed to make much of an impact on the game.

The question now doesn’t appear to be whether the Warriors will win this series, but exactly how much energy they’ll need to expend to do it. It feels odd to call Curry an x-factor in the series, but Game 2 proved that the Warriors don’t require his presence to control the vast majority of a game vs. the Rockets. However, that task will probably be tougher at the Toyota Center for Thursday’s Game 3. Head coach Steve Kerr did not provide much insight into Curry’s condition in his post-game press conference, but it seems as if the immediate diagnosis is not dire. Given that the Warriors have a commanding 2-0 lead with the best player in the league having seen the court for all of 20 minutes, it stands to reason that his return would make a sweep more likely than not.

On the other hand, Game 2 seemed to suggest that the Warriors should remain confident no matter their superstar’s availability. The Rockets haven’t shown much pride or togetherness throughout this season. There’s no apparent reason to believe they’ll conjure that winning edge when the series changes venue.

Cage Warriors will be in Copenhagen in March for the first time since 2014, and three big names have been added to the show. UFC veteran welterweight Nicolas Dalby (16-3-1) will be part of the show in front of his home fans. So will Denmark native and fellow UFC vet Mads Burnell (10-3). Also on […]

Jeremy Stephens is ready to topple the seemingly giant task of beating Zabit Magomedsharipov when the pair clash in a featherweight bout at UFC 235 in March. Following an initial report of the matchup from ESPN.com, Stephens (28-15 MMA, 15-14 UFC) has taken to social media to give his first comments on the bout against […]

LOS ANGELES – With three more fights on his contract, Anderson Silva is planning for the end of his career. The once-dominant UFC middleweight champ Silva (34-8 MMA, 17-4 UFC) said if he’s able to upset Israel Adesanya (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC 234 in February, he hopes to get one last chance to […]

Vitor Belfort’s MMA career isn’t over, after all. The former UFC champion Belfort (26-14) said prior to his knockout loss against Lyoto Machida at UFC 224 in May that it would be his last fight. He was reluctant to use the word “retirement,” but made it clear he no longer sought active competition. Belfort’s UFC […]

MILWAUKEE – Before Saturday’s UFC on FOX 31 rematch with Jim Miller, Charles Oliveira seemed to have come to terms with the thought of staying at lightweight, after multiple pleas to return to the featherweight division. Oliveira (25-8 MMA, 13-8 UFC), as we know, would go on to score a first-round submission, avenging his 2011 loss […]

Ever have one of those weeks and/or weekends when, by the time you get to Monday, you can barely remember everything that happened? That’s more or less every week in the world of combat sports, where the realm of the bizarrely newsworthy is pretty much where we live. Which is why MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes […]

In this exclusive excerpt from WWE Chronicle, Becky Lynch talks about her rise to SmackDown Women's Champion, her opinion of Ronda Rousey and more in an interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. Watch the Chronicle: https://youtu.be/-M4qKQKZxPM

Cutting weight to make the limit ahead of a fight is no joke. Fighters often have to cut out food, limit their liquid intake and do hours of cardio in order to shed the pounds to make a weight limit. It’s not easy to do, and it’s difficult on one’s body. The good news is […]

Cain Velasquez could be making his long-awaited UFC return. Velasquez is in serious talks with the UFC about headlining its February event in Phoenix on ESPN, according to a report. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani says the fight would be between Velasquez and Francis Ngannou. It is not finalized yet, but it's moving in the right direction. […]

Possessing delusional confidence is part of the battle. The ability to back it up, no matter how little the odds favor you, is just as important. Joanna Jedrzejczyk has lost to Valentina Shevchenko three times already. But when you listen to her speak, you wouldn’t doubt yourself regarding whether you believe in her abilities to […]